Chiltern

April 14, 2008 — 10.00am

ChilternFascinating small historic town Chiltern is a country town of some 1400 people which is distinguished by its historic streetscape of well-preserved brick buildings and old-fashioned timber verandahs. This antique appearance has drawn filmmakers on several occasions - most notably for the filming of Walt Disney's Ride a Wild Pony in 1974. It is located amidst an agricultural landscape 500 metres off the Hume Freeway and 270 km north-east of Melbourne, between Wangaratta and Wodonga.

The first Europeans in the area were the party of Joseph Hawdon who was engaged in overlanding cattle to Port Phillip in 1836. He apparently shot a 'black' dingo hereabouts and Black Dog Creek was named in its honour. Consequently, this name was also applied to the settlement when it first emerged.

The first squatters took up land here in 1839 and a bush inn was established in 1844. A few other buildings developed around the hotel, although it was later transformed into a police outpost. As such it was apparently frequented by Robert O'Hara Burke, of the famous Burke and Wills expedition.

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A township reserve was declared on the creek in 1851. The site was surveyed in 1853. At around this time the name of Chiltern, from the Chiltern Hills of England, had come into use. Town allotments were sold in 1854.

However, this settlement was abandoned when John Conness's discovery of the Indigo gold lead was announced in 1858. As prospectors poured into the area, a new Chiltern was established around the miner's track which ran parallel to the New Ballarat lead (now Conness St) and along the route from Beechworth to the Indigo lead (now Main St). The original Star Hotel was built at the intersection of these two routes in 1859.

In the first bloom of the rush there were allegedly some ten to twenty thousand living around the town. The local diggings turned up the largest nugget of the Ovens goldfields. However, the alluvial gold soon dwindled and attention was turned to deep quartz reef mines which required the capital of a company. Consequently the population thinned to a manageable level.

The new townsite was surveyed in 1860 although sales of allotments were delayed owing to objections from mining companies. Chiltern was proclaimed a municipality in 1862. Unusually, the first council consisted entirely of representatives from the miners' group.

By 1865 there were about 2200 residents and 400 domiciles. Agriculture and vineyards were under way, there were two steam-powered sawmills and highly profitable quartz-reef mining was ongoing. Buildings included 12 hotels, a post office, a telegraph station, the Federal Standard newspaper office, three banks, a court, a court of mines, five insurance offices, a reading room, a coach office and a newsagency.

By 1888 there were still twelve hotels although the population had shrunk to 1243 and the number of banks to two. Gold mining continued to turn a profit until the early 20th century. The last reef was abandoned in 1911. Mine director Charles Harkin formed the Chiltern Vineyard Company in 1912 to provide employment for those made redundant.

Noted novelist Henry Handel Richardson lived at Chiltern from 1876-77. Short-lived Country Party Prime Minister John McEwen (1967-68) was born here in 1900.

The Chiltern Box Ironbark Festival in October celebrates the natural environment and the town's history with guided walks and other outdoor activities, along with general entertainment.

Things to see:

Federal Standard The town's major attraction is its historic buildings, particularly the streetscape of Conness St. Guided tours can be arranged by calling Rex from the Chiltern Athenaeum on (03) 5726 1467.

A good place to start a walk is at the corner of Main St (the access road into town from the Hume Freeway) and Alliance St. On the edge of the Tourist Park is the small brick office of the Federal Standard (1860-61), Chiltern's first newspaper. Inside are an old printing press and other equipment from the 1870s-1920s. It is open by appointment, tel: (03) 5726 1317.

Star Hotel Proceed north along Main St to the intersection with Conness St. The latter was named after John Conness, the man who first discovered gold at Chiltern. It began as a miner's track adjacent the New Ballarat lead. Main St was the route which extended from the Indigo lead towards Beechworth.

At the north-eastern corner is the former Star Hotel and Theatre which was rebuilt in 1866 after a fire destroyed the 1859 original. The expansiveness of an adjoining theatre (used for dancing, plays and public meetings) and a billiards saloon is a tribute to the prosperity and extensive custom afforded by a prosperous gold town.

In the courtyard is a grapevine which was planted in 1867. In 1936 it yielded a crop of two and half tonnes of grapes. With a trunk that measures 1.84 metres and a branch which is 12 metres long it is recorded as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.

Today the old theatre houses Grapevine Antiques and Museum where there are antiques and collectables for sale, Friday to Wednesday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: (03) 5726 1395.

Conness St West On the north-western corner is Gilmour's Corner Store(1890), now a craft and giftware shop which also dispenses local tourist information, tel: (03) 5726 1611.

Head west along Conness St. To the right is the former Council Club Hotel (1870). In 1890 the owner bought the store on the other side of the lane and made it part of the hotel.

Stephen's Motor Museum Further along the road is Stephen's Motor Garage and Museum which contains an international collection of automotive memorabilia dating back to the outset of the 20th century, tel: (03) 5726 1236. Opposite is the former Bank of Australasia (1877-79), now The Mulberry Tree Restaurant and Bed-and-Breakfast.

Dow's Pharmacy Return along Conness St towards Main St. To the right is Dow's Pharmacy (1868). Now owned by the National Trust, it retains its original exterior. Inside is an extensive array of original shop fittings which display original stock and pharmaceutical equipment. It is open on weekends and school holidays, tel: (03) 5726 1476.

Main St North Head north along Main St. On the far side of Crawford St, to the left, is 'Linden', built in 1890 by David McEwen. His son John, who was born in the house in 1900, became prime minister of Australia in 1967-68.

On the other side of the road are the post office (built in 1863 it was the town's first government building), the Classical courthouse building (1865) and the Masonic hall.

Return south along Main St, turning left into Crawford St. To the left are the police lock-up (1873) and residence (1875).

Chiltern Athenaeum Museum Return to the intersection of Main and Conness Sts. Head east along Conness St. To the left is the Chiltern Athenaeum Museum. As the building was originally a goldfields library, town hall and council chambers, it has a large collection of 19th-century books (including a very early edition of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica) and other material pertaining to local history, including the works of local painter Alfred Eustace, who executed detailed miniatures on large gum leaves. His work was reputedly collected by Queen Victoria and the Czar of Russia. Eustace died in 1907 and is buried in the local cemetery. There is a good display of local Aboriginal artefacts. It is open weekends and public holidays from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: (03) 5726 1467.

Kilgour's Residence, Shop and Factory At Conness and Kilgour is 'Bellfield' (1870s), the residence of Andrew Kilgour who owned the blacksmith shop and mining-equipment factory (1865) on the other side of Conness St. The latter premises were later used for curing tobacco.

Lake Anderson and Parkland Head south along Kilgour St, cross over Alliance St and walk past Lake Anderson and through the adjacent parkland. This was the site of the Alliance Gold Mine. The lake bed was created by subsidence as a result of their operations. An old mullock heap can still be seen. Today this area is ideal for picnics and there is a wildlife and bird refuge.

Lakeview On the southern side of the lake, at the end of Victoria St, is a typical Victorian, single-storey country-town villa known as 'Lakeview' (c.1870). It is clearly signposted off Main Street on the eastern side of town. The Richardson family moved into this brick bungalow when they arrived at Chiltern in 1876. Ethel Richardson, then six, would later become a distinguished novelist, working under the pseudonym Henry Handel Richardson. The family moved on when her father's medical practice failed in 1877. She later utilised her memories of the house and area in her depiction of 'Barambogie' in the novel Ultima Thule (1929). She also recounts her time at Chiltern in her autobiography Myself When Young (1948). It was restored between 1967 and 1967.

The house is adorned with period furnishings and Richardson memorabilia and is open for inspection on weekends, public holidays and school holidays from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., tel: (03) 5726 1317.

Railway Station A little further south is the railway station (1875). Note the polychrome brickwork and cast-iron drinking fountains on the verandah posts.

Churches An avenue of trees lead to St Paul's Church of England (1870-5) in Albert Rd. It is a Gothic design constructed of local orange bricks and cream-brick quoins. The octagonal tower is a focal point.

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church (1871-5) is in High St. In a probable case of cheating during exams, it is, like St Paul's, a Gothic structure built of the same bricks with a similar avenue of trees and an octagonal bellcote.

Forest View Emu Farm Guided tours of Forest View Emu Farm and its fine garden can be arranged in advance by ringing the owners on (03) 5726 1337. It is located 2 or 3 km from town, towards Beechworth, in Lancashire Gap Road. It also has a bed-and-breakfast facility.

Chiltern - Mt Pilot National Park This reserve protects some historic sites and a stand of box and ironbark that was once common in Victoria. It covers land to the immediate north and south-east of town and is noted for its profuse birdlife (including the rare turquoise parrot). Squirrel and Sugar gliders, Tuans (Phasocgales) and Yellow-Footed Antechinus are found throughout the park and there are fine displays of flora can be enjoyed in the warmer months.

There are excellent drives and walks in the park which is crisscrossed by good gravel roads. These are traversed by the Chiltern Historic Drive (25 km). To get started head out of town on the Rutherglen Rd and turn left into Donchi Hill Rd. The drive takes in Donchi Hill (a good lookout over the surrounding plains), the original cemetery of the Indigo goldfields (established in 1858), the Magenta Mine (it operated from 1860-1910 and produced around 370 kg of gold) and the State Battery Site. The battery was set up in the Great Depression by the government to encourage goldmining. New mines could have the first three tons of ore free of charge. It closed in World War II. There are picnic areas at Donchi Hill, Magenta Mine and Frogs Hollow.

The White Box Walking Track (8.5 km) is a circular walk around the Honeyeater Picnic Area in the south-eastern section. There is an information board at the Picnic Area and a bbox which contains park leaflets and White Box Walk brochures. For more information check out the Friends of Chiltern website http://friendsofchiltern.org

Yeddonba Aboriginal Art Site About 12 km south of Chiltern, along the road to Beechworth, is a turnoff on the left into Toveys Rd. Follow Toveys Rd when it veers to the right (i.e., ignore the turnoff on the left) and you will soon come to a carpark and picnic area on the right-hand side of the road. This is the start of a 45-minute walk which begins on the left-hand side of the picnic area (as you face it from the road). A related pamphlet, available from the Beechworth Visitor's Centre, provides considerable insight into the culture of the Duduroa people who were the dominant indigenous clan of the area. It does so by examining the relationship between the Duduroa and various attractions along the trail- the physical setting, the flora, some rocky outcrops and a lookout.

However the main attraction along the track is the Yeddonba Aboriginal Art Site which depicts a Tasmanian tiger, a goanna and a snake. The depictions are thought to be over 2000 years old. They are faded but cannot be redone as there are no known descendants of the Duduroa alive today. Clan elders used this sacred site to pass on the Dreaming story of the Tasmanian tiger which was their totem spirit. The orange ochre was probably obtained from clans in South Australia.

Also along the trail is a rock cave which the Duduroa believed to be the home of the Tasmanian tiger's spirit. It was used as an initiation site to connect young men and women with the life force.

Mt Pilot Lookout About 2 km further south along the Beechworth Rd is another turnoff on the left into Old Coach Rd which leads to the summit of Mt Pilot (548 m above sea-level). The mountain was important to local Aboriginal clans as a spiritual and ceremonial site. Springs in the rocks here were also an essential water source.